URGENT: A massive primary aluminum smelter — 60% owned by Emirates Global Aluminum (UAE) — is proposed at the Tulsa Port of Inola. Facility: 350+ acres, 800,000 tons/year production, 425 tons/year fluoride emissions, 1,000+ MW power consumption, direct Verdigris River access.
Stop The Inola Smelter
NOT in our Town!
The United States' largest aluminum smelter is proposed less than 3 miles from Inola schools, homes, and farms. Educate yourself. Take action. #HealthOverWealth
Proposed Facility Details
Rendering of proposed plant: The facility would feature two 200-foot main exhaust stacks (25-foot diameter) and over fifteen 150-foot stacks.
Aerial view of proposed site: ~350 acres on Muscogee (Creek) Nation land along the Verdigris River. Note the proximity to farms and the river.
200 ft
Primary stack height
400+ acres
Proposed facility size
< 3 miles
From Inola schools
1,000+ MW
Power consumption
“Our children and grandchildren deserve better than this. Will our legacy be an enormous foreign-owned industrial smelter consuming more power than most Oklahoma cities, emitting hazardous pollutants into our air, water, and soil — all in the name of economic development? Or will we protect the land, health, and future of Green Country for generations to come?”
Concerns & Risks
These are documented risks based on the air permit application, published scientific studies, and real-world precedents from comparable facilities.
Air Pollution
- •Estimated air emissions: 150,000,000 cubic feet per month
- •Proposed emissions: ~425 tons/year fluoride (HF) — classified as an extremely hazardous substance by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- •Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), nitrogen oxides (NOx) at ~2,200 tons/year, sulfur dioxide (SO₂)
- •Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) containing heavy metals
- •Requires Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit from Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) and EPA Region 6 — contact them today
Water & River Impact
- •Facility located directly on the Verdigris River
- •Primary supply: over 1,500,000 tons of alumina powder annually via barge
- •Adds 1,000+ barges annually to Verdigris River traffic and wear
- •Alumina powder is metallic dust that causes respiratory irritation and accumulates on fish gills
- •Fluoride bioaccumulation in aquatic ecosystems
- •Harm to mussels, fish, and other aquatic animals
Impact on Agriculture & Cattle
- •Fluoride emissions bioaccumulate irreversibly in cattle bones (~425 tons/year)
- •90%+ of fluoride exposure is dietary; cattle consume 50+ lbs forage daily
- •Dental fluorosis: mottled enamel, rapid wear, reduced feed intake
- •Skeletal fluorosis: lameness, bone deformities, stunted growth, reproductive failure
- •1979 Cornwall Island study: ~300 tons/year fluoride caused complete herd collapse within 5 miles — Inola projects 425 tons/year
Ranchers and farmers: your livelihoods are at stake — speak up now.
Traffic, Noise & Industrial Disruption
- •24/7 continuous industrial operation
- •Over 1,000 additional barges per year on Verdigris River
- •Heavy truck traffic, industrial noise from 17+ exhaust stacks running continuously
- •Sets precedent for further heavy industrialization in rural Inola
- •Industrial park development would transform the area
Is this the Inola you want for your children?
Energy Grid Impact
- •Facility would consume 1,000+ megawatts (MW) of continuous power
- •Massive draw on Oklahoma utility grid affecting reliability and energy costs
- •PSO (Public Service Company of Oklahoma) is primary regional power provider
- •Energy demands and grid stress from this single facility
Regional Crisis – Impact Beyond Inola
- •Inola: From "hay capital of the world" to "pollution capital of Oklahoma"
- •Prevailing winds carry pollution to Claremore, Pryor, Broken Arrow, Tulsa, and Coweta
- •Regional air quality degradation affects health and quality of life across Green Country
- •This is a crisis for all of northeast Oklahoma — not just Inola
We fight for all of Green Country, not just Inola.
Latest Community Voices
Recent news coverage and community testimony — hear from ranchers, residents, and elected officials
"It Will Not Fit Here" — KJRH/2 News (March 9, 2025)
The most recent TV coverage featuring Stop The Inola Smelter directly, with rancher Joleta Ingersoll's powerful testimony and Eric Reilly's warning that Inola could become "the air pollution capital of Oklahoma."
Community Organized — FOX 23 (February 7, 2025)
Dale Danker's first community meeting brings residents together. State Rep. Tom Gann tells Inola the fight isn't over — "This project is not a done deal."
Who Is Behind This?
The proposed facility is a joint venture branded as “Oklahoma Primary Aluminum” — largely owned by a foreign state-controlled entity.
60% Ownership
Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA)
- • A UAE state-owned aluminum company
- • Announced construction will begin at end of 2026
- • Land sale of ~350 acres at Tulsa Port of Inola has not yet closed as of March 2026
40% Ownership
Century Aluminum
- • A US-based aluminum company
- • Together they would operate the US's largest primary aluminum smelter
- • Uses energy-intensive Hall-Héroult electrolysis process
Key Facts About the Project
- • Primary aluminum smelter — processes raw alumina into aluminum using electrolysis; far more energy-intensive and polluting than secondary/recycling operations
- • Site located on Muscogee (Creek) Nation land — raising critical tribal sovereignty and consultation concerns
- • Tulsa Port Authority selling approximately 350 acres for facility
- • Would produce 800,000 tons of aluminum annually — doubling current US production
- • Industrial park secondary use: Could attract other heavy industry to the Port
- • Joint venture branded as "Oklahoma Primary Aluminum"
What Will You Tell Future Generations?
Will you be the one to explain that it was “good for the economy”? That profits for a foreign-owned company were more important than our air, water, land, and quality of life?
Protect the land, health, and future of Green Country for generations to come.